CAJUCULTURA IN THE NORTHEAST: CHALLENGES AND POTENTIAL IN THE LOCALITY OF SÍTIO DO ALEGRE, ESPERANTINA-PIAUÍ

Abstract

Cashew cultivation is one of the most traditional crops in the Northeast, being practiced in some regions without technology and state incentives, making it incapable of multiplying the raw material and its derivatives. In this sense, the general objective of this article is to analyze the practice of cashew cultivation, a productive activity of the local culture in the locality of Sítio do Alegre, in the municipality of Esperantina, Piauí. Methodologically, a qualitative-quantitative study was carried out, based on bibliographical and field research. To help reach this work, guidance was sought in the works of Barros (2003), Lima (2003), Araujo (2008). The results indicate that, although the practice of culture is part of the agricultural culture of the residents of the region, it is going through a period of crisis and being neglected due to other agricultural activities, especially goat and fish farming. Despite its economic potential, verified by the foreign market demand for Brazil nuts, for example, the residents of the region do not see cashew cultivation as their main source of income, although it maintains an important function as an element of subsistence in family agriculture, either through self-consumption of cashew and its derivatives, or by reusing its by-products within the family establishment. There was a lack of government incentives, whether technical or financial, which gained support for the development of culture in the municipality and, in this way, contribute to local development.